Understanding Polymorphism Overriding and Overloading in Java

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Dive into the world of Java programming with our guide on `polymorphism`, `overriding`, and `overloading`. Understand the differences and applications of these crucial object-oriented programming concepts. • --- • This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/154577/ asked by the user 'Brian G' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/3208/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/154939/ provided by the user 'Chris Cudmore' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/18907/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions. • Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Polymorphism vs Overriding vs Overloading • Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l... • The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 3.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 3.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license. • If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com. • --- • Understanding Polymorphism, Overriding, and Overloading in Java • Java is a powerful programming language, widely used in applications and in the realm of object-oriented programming (OOP). Among the fundamental concepts that any Java developer should grasp are polymorphism, overriding, and overloading. This guide aims to clarify these concepts and elucidate their distinctions, particularly focusing on polymorphism. • What is Polymorphism? • Polymorphism is a core principle of OOP that allows methods to do different things based on the object that it is acting upon. In simpler terms, polymorphism is when a single interface can be used to represent different underlying forms (data types). • For example, you may have a generic method or function that can take many forms but performs a specific function tailored to the type of input it receives. A straightforward way to express polymorphism in Java is through an abstract base class or interface. • Example of Polymorphism Using an Abstract Class • Let’s consider an example in which we want to define a method that describes how a Human goes to the bathroom. Since the implementation will differ for Male and Female, we can use an abstract class. • [[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]] • In this class, the method goPee() is abstract, meaning that it has no concrete implementation—it cannot be defined at the Human level. Instead, we provide specific implementations in the subclasses of Male and Female. • [[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]] • Demonstrating Polymorphism in Action • Now that we have our subclasses, let’s see polymorphism in action. We can create an array list of Human objects and invoke the goPee() method for each person in the group. • [[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]] • When we run this code, you would see the output: • [[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]] • This demonstrates polymorphism effectively: the same method call goPee() behaves differently based on the actual object type within the Human class. • Distinguishing Between Overriding and Overloading • In the realm of OOP, it’s crucial to differentiate between overriding and overloading. • Overriding • Definition: Overriding occurs when a subclass provides a specific implementation for a method already defined in its parent class. It is a way to achieve runtime polymorphism. • Example: The goPee() method implementation in both Male and Female is an instance of overriding. • Overloading • Definition: Overloading happens when two or more methods in the same class have the same name but different parameters (different type or number of parameters). This is a compile-time concept, known as compile-time polymorphism. • Example: You could have multiple goPee(int urgencyLevel) methods to indicate how urgently a Human needs to go, differentiated by the number or types of parameters. • Conclusion • In summary, understanding the distinctions between polymorphism, overriding, and overloading in Java is critical for effective programming. While polymorphism allows a single interface to represent various types, overriding modifies the method's behavior in the subclass, and overloading allows for multiple methods with the same name but different inputs. • Mastering these concepts enriches your ability to design and implement robust, flexible Java applications.

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